Rewired
by potency
Summary: After a tragic accident, young Sakura realizes that the only way to protect her loved ones from violence is to embrace it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Everything Naruto related is not owned by me - but their fates are definitely in my hands. I'll try to play nice.**

 **A/N: Posted this before, but my friends found my account so I deleted in a frenzy of embarrassment. Immediate regret ensued and now I am reposting. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

Sakura was a generally non aggressive girl.

She let the kids at school bully her. She sat through their insults. She let them steal her toys, and she let them push her around on the playground.

She knew it was partially her fault - her passiveness that egged the children on, and her tears that only fueled their malice. But she was taught that there was no benefit to aggression.

The Harunos lived as the symbols of peace among the village. Her parents were normal civilians - loving in their caretaking and pacifist in their teachings. They lived strictly by their code of generosity and were well loved by their neighbors.

Never did they consider the shinobi lifestyle, and prided in the fact that they could be the normalcy in a world ruled by violence. Sakura never had any interest either - the only reason she was enrolled in the academy was the fact that a certain raven haired Uchiha seemed happily involved in it. But even then she was content with watching from afar.

She was happy the way she was, and saw no flaw in the philosophy her parents held.

Not until she sat quivering under the floorboards of her home, listening to her mother's scream as her father's body crumpled to the ground.

"Where is he ma'am?"

"KIZASHI!" Mebuki Haruno fell to her knees next to her husband's body. "You bastard!"

The intruders sneered. "We know he came by. We'll spare you if you tell us where he went."

Mebuki closed her eyes and grit her teeth. "Please. We just woke up - how in the world would we know anything?"

The missing nin the men were looking for laid beside Sakura, unconscious and bleeding profusely. She continued to put pressure on the towels, like her parents instructed her to in order to stop the bleeding. Her own tears ran fell onto his body, as she desperately willed her father to be alright.

One of the men spat on the floor, annoyed. "This is a waste of time. He could be miles away now - he's prestigious after all."

"What about the woman?"

The sound of a second body crumpled to the ground. Sakura's lip bled as she bit down in an attempt to keep a cry of horror escape.

"Just a genjutsu? Pfft. You're getting soft."

There was no sound as they left, and Sakura waited for what seemed to be hours. The man beside her was unconscious, and her parents possibly dead - she felt completely alone and helpless.

You cannot enforce peace without your own power. You cannot stand for those you want to protect without having enemies to face.

She slowly lifted the hatch and peered out. Seeing only the fallen bodies of her parents, she scrambled out of her hiding place and to her parents.

Her father was most definitely dead - his jugular slashed and his head at a strange angle. Her mother faced the other direction, her face frozen in permanent horror as she gazed through her daughter into another reality.

Sakura forgot entirely about the strangers and screamed her for her parents to wake up. As she desperately shook her immobile parents, one thing registered in her mind.

Next time, she would be stronger. Next time, she would be able to protect those she loved. Next time, she would be ready, and she would never feel so useless again.

* * *

Onyx eyes fluttered as they slowly came to consciousness. His head pounded and his body hurt all over. He winced the sudden pain in his arm, and realized that the discomfort was what woke him up.

 _Otouto..._

All his memories returned in a flash, and Itachi Uchiha shot up with sudden urgency. A kunai was immediately held near the neck of his assailant.

But instead of shinobi, he found himself gazing intently at a young girl with pink hair.

 _What?_

She blinked with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Then, amazingly, worry. "Did I hurt you, onii-san?"

 _She wasn't frightened?_

His eyes registered the towel in her hand, stained with his blood, and a tub of warm water. He was being tended to for the first time in years - and by a girl half his size no less.

Though he saw no danger, he was slow to let his shoulders fall and slip the kunai back into its holster.

The girl seemed a little more unsure, but reached for the clean gauze with concern in her stature. "Gomen - I've never done this without kaa-san."

Her gaze lowered, the corners of her mouth turning down thoughtfully. "Mother is in the hospital. They said she was under powerful genjutsu. She won't talk anymore."

Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but brightened again when he held out his arm for her. She began to carefully wrap the bandages around his arm, engrossed in the task. It was inflamed from a fire jutsu he got caught in.

"Father said you did something brave and we had to protect you at all costs."

The Uchiha's expression didn't change, but blood-filled memories resurfaced. His stomach churned with nausea. His little brother's stricken face as he entered the room burned to the back of his eyes.

 _There was nothing brave about what I did._

And now he was the cause for the casualties upon this girl's family. Those damn mist nin thought they could knock him down while he was weak - they wanted his eyes for their own, and ambushed him the minute he stepped foot out of his clan district. He narrowed his eyes as hemade a mental note of their chakra signatures.

A soft sniffle brought his mind back to the present. "I… couldn't do anything this time… but I'll get stronger next time!"

She didn't seem to blame him whatsoever. "You don't have to worry - I'll protect you from those bullies!"

Her childish, innocent voice held strangely placed assurance that softened Itachi's eyes. Harunos were known to believe in people to a fault.

Itachi watched in silence as she slowly and carefully bandaged his arm while wiping away the moisture in her eyes.

The words formed in his mouth without thinking.

"Would you like my help?"

* * *

Sakura Haruno's progress sharply increased, unbeknownst to her classmates. She became less social and threw herself into her studies. Everyone disregarded it, seeing the withdrawal as her coping mechanism for the news of her father's death and her mother's hospitalization.

The news was not out of the ordinary - most students only had one parent, and the death of a single Haruno was dwarfed by the news of the Uchiha clan's assassination.

Sakura noted the likeness between the missing nin compadre and Sasuke Uchiha, but kept her mouth shut. The teenager who called himself "Hasao" made it clear that she was not to talk about their interactions, and she was keen to listen in exchange for their daily lessons.

She would go out with a basket at sunset, claiming to pick flowers for her mother, and meet Hasao in the outskirts of town. He would always be cloaked in a genjutsu, and appear as a different individual each time.

He taught her to sense and break them, or she would be punished with no breaks during her training.

It was only a month, but she was eager to learn and developed a solid grasp on the basics.

Hasao left right at the month marker, like he promised, but left her the necessary tools to train on her own. So when the day came to become assigned to an official team, she would be more than ready.

* * *

Sakura had passed the academy tests with ease, and was eager to test the skills she'd trained in combat against her peers. Never had she managed to land a hit in the little time Hasao had trained her, but she had diligently honed her skills and trained her body for years since then.

After getting dressed, she visited her mom at the hospital and told her all about her graduation from the academy. Fortunately, Mebuki Haruno was stubborn, and slowly made a recovery. Now she sat in a wheelchair, and listened to her daughter's rambling with a warm smile.

Sakura loved her mother more than anything, and she was willing to go to the ends of the earth to protect her from any more pain. Now, she bounced from roof to roof. Her heart raced in her chest as she proudly donned the headband with her village symbol etched onto the front.

"Hey! You show off!"

Sakura glanced back to see Ino appearing out of the flower shop, her sleeves rolled up threateningly. The pink haired girl paused to stick her tongue out at her long time friend. "Race you there, pig!"

A baby blue eye twitched in playful irritation as Ino quickly switched to full gear. "You better get ready to kiss my ass, Haruno!"

* * *

Sakura slid through the doorway and stopped just in time to avoid collision with the opposite wall. She jumped up with a victorious smile.

 _Hell yeah!_

She stretched as Ino came panting down the hall, scowling. "You had a head start, you cheater!"

Sakura grinned. "Don't be sore, pig!"

She let out a satisfied sigh and surveyed the room for a seat. Sasuke Uchiha's gravity defying hair caught her eye, and she contemplated sitting next to him for a moment.

Despite the fact that he was devilishly handsome, he was also known for his advanced techniques in combat. They shared the number one scores in the academy, and she desperately wanted to face him on the field.

Hasao's face flashed into her mind. Was the Uchiha prodigy anything like the mentor who shared his features?

Naruto poked his head into her line of sight, effectively blocking the Uchiha from view. "Hey Sakura-chan! I saved a seat for you!"

Sakura sighed, and moved forward to accept his offer. The guy seemed friendly enough, if one ignored his obnoxiousness.

Ino, on the other hand, had unfortunately noticed her original target. "Hey! I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!"

The Yamanaka lunged forward and grabbed Sakura's arm. She pulled the pink haired girl behind her and pushed toward the heartbreaker.

Spurred on by competition, Sakura scowled. "I got here first, pig. I get to sit wherever I want!"

Sitting next to the broody male was not her idea of a pleasant afternoon, but Ino's attitude had ticked her off. Before they knew it, their little squabble lead to an unprecedented kiss between a dejected Naruto and a ticked off Sasuke.

A majority of the females in the classroom shed a couple tears for the loss of Sasuke Uchiha's first kiss. They loomed aggressively in unison over a pale Naruto, cracking their knuckles.

Sakura, on the other hand, doubled over and pounded a fist onto the ground, almost drooling with laughter. The fact that she could feel his eyes glaring holes into her only made the situation funnier.

Sakura immediately regretted laughing once Iruka announced the teams. Her heart sank right along with Naruto's, as both guys she spitefully laughed at a moment ago became her teammates.

 _Well there goes any hope of teamwork._

* * *

Sakura sat at a bench, moping over her lunch. She was so bummed by the terrible timing of the assignments that she refused Naruto's cheery offer to get lunch together.

Naruto was friendly and relatively welcoming. Sasuke, on the other hand…

 _It would be easier to dig a hole through a mountain. With a spoon._

At that thought, she let out another sigh and rested her chin on her hand. Is it possible to request solo missions?

"You have a charmingly wide forehead, Sakura."

 _That's… that's Sasuke's voice?_

Sakura looked up, and immediately stifled a laugh. Sasuke Uchiha was standing before her… but crafted from a terribly concealed genjutsu. She almost felt insulted.

"It makes me want to ki-"

The boy stopped mid-sentence when the kunoichi held up a hand. "Don't embarrass yourself, Naruto."

The illusion fell away with a _poof_. Naruto pouted at how easily she saw through his plan. "Mou, Sakura-chan… how did you know it was me?"

A pastel eyebrow rose. "Your genjutsu was as if you put on a costume held together by duct tape - you used way too much chakra haphazardly. A convincing genjutsu should be one carefully stitched together strand by strand."

"Wow, Sakura-chan," her new teammate scratched his head, trying to take everything in. "You sure know a lot about genjutsus, dattebeyo!"

Sakura shrugged. "You just need practice is all."

With those words, he rushed forward and leaned into her personal bubble. "Hey, hey Sakura-chan! Would you be willing to teach me?"

"Ah… I-"

Before she could respond, a loud grumbling interrupted their conversation. Naruto's face quickly paled, and he stood straight, backing away. "I… I'll be right back, dattebeyo!"

He scurried away without another word, hunched over and holding his stomach.

Once he was out of sight, Sakura released a breath of relief. She had plenty of her own training to do, and it seemed like Naruto had only asked due to his attraction to her. It would be nice to have some company every now and then on the training grounds, though…

She looked down at her half-eaten food and sighed, picking it back up. Lunch break was almost over, and she knew she had feed herself or else she wouldn't be at peak capacity.

Once she finished forcing down the bland rice, she noticed her other teammate coming up the road. He silently strode up without any intent of making eye contact.

Sakura glanced down at her empty lunchbox regrettably. If she still had food, she could have offered some as a sort of peace offering. "Did you eat yet?"

"Where's Naruto?"

Her eye twitched in annoyance. Of course he completely ignored her question. Was he still upset about the kiss before?

She opened her mouth, but paused. Upon further surveillance of his being, she noted that he seemed a little scuffed up. Her eyes widened in realization.

Naruto would have had to make sure Sasuke didn't walk into the clearing during his genjutsu…

She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Naruto ambushing the Uchiha. Maybe Sasuke wasn't as prodigious as they claimed he was. "Let him have his peace," she grinned as she recalled the sound coming from Naruto's stomach. "He's gonna need it."

* * *

 **A/N: Here's the first chapter! Let me know what you think ;)**

 **I still haven't decided what the pairings for this will be - but don't you worry. There will be things happening.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

"Why is our squad leader the only one that's late?" Naruto complained loudly. "The other squads have gone off somewhere with their new teachers, and Iruka-sensei also left."

"Complaining isn't gonna make him come any faster," Sakura quipped, hiding her own annoyance.

Though she played it cool, Sakura's own nerves buzzed with excitement, her mind filled with questions as to what her new squad leader would be like. Many had spoken of their experiences of their own teams, remembering them with a bittersweet fondness - of a time marked with struggle, but also filled with growth and learning.

She wondered if this stranger would be anything like her dark haired mentor, Hasao, but quickly hoped otherwise as she remembered the painful memories of her trainings. The man gave no inch of mercy no matter how much pain the exercises had put her through.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as she noticed Naruto busying himself with something in the corner of her eye. He grinned broadly as he finished squeezing an eraser between the sliding door and the doorframe, the trap designed to drop on whomever pulled the door back to enter.

He proudly surveyed his work and turned to hop off the stool he used to reach the crevice. "It'll be his fault because he's late."

Sakura leaned back on the stadium seats in thought. She was never one to generate friction with authorities, but her curiosity overwhelmed her disapproval. A jounin can catch shuriken flying at 100 miles per hour - there's no way they won't be able to catch a falling eraser, especially one aiming for a vulnerable target such as their head. If anything, their new leader would it - no harm, no foul.

Sasuke seemed to voice her thoughts. "A jounin wouldn't get caught with such a weak booby trap."

Sakura shrugged playfully, deciding to play along with Naruto's little prank. "Who knows, Sasuke? It seems like a pretty elusive-"

Her words were cut off as a hand emerged, gripping onto the sliding door. Everyone froze, their attention fixated on the hand as they held their breaths, wondering how the jounin would evade the trap.

"Shock" was a bit of an understatement when they watched the eraser bounce off the jounin's shock of gray hair, emitting a soft cloud of powder on impact.

Everyone blinked in stunned silence. "Wha…?!"

Once again, Sakura's hope plummeted. Not only would she be stuck in a nonfunctional team, given that neither teammates seemed like the type to plan or follow orders, her teacher doesn't seem very promising either.

But as a kunoichi with pink hair, she knew better than anyone else not to judge from first impressions. Despite this knowledge, she found it difficult to swallow her doubt through Naruto's victorious laughter and goading.

She eyed her team leader skeptically. "Jounin, hm?"

"How can I put this? As for my first impression of you guys?" Kakashi leaned back on the heels of his feet, eyes closed in thought. "Well, I hate you."

* * *

Sakura found her eyes wandering across the rooftops of her village, lingering in the direction of the hospital. A small smile flickered across her face at the thought of her mom. It was impossible not to worry about her mother, no matter how much Mebuki Haruno insisted otherwise.

She realized she was zoning out when her new team leader, Kakashi, began introducing himself. His half-assed introduction, only really revealing his name, wasn't a new approach for her. She'd had her share of experience with emotionally unavailable men, but still twitched an eye in irritation.

 _But if he initiated this whole thing shouldn't he at least put some effort into it?_

She shared Naruto's look of disbelief and rolled her own eyes, shrugging. Late, non-committal, alarmingly casual… she was starting to think the jounin was forced into this job.

"Next is you guys."

Sakura readjusted her sitting position, ears perking in interest toward her teammates. Though she shared a class with the two, she never shared any conversations about anything further than surface level. If she was to be on a team, she might as well understand how they think.

Naruto's introduction turned out to be a spiel about his true love for ramen and his aspiration of surpassing the hokage. Though the first part exasperated the girl to no end, she could respect his dream. It seemed so far fetched, and yet he declared it so easily without a trace of doubt or fear.

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she couldn't help but blurt out, "Why?"

He blinked at her, surprised for a second, before he broke out into a grin, his bright blue eyes disappearing under the force of his toothy smile. "So that everyone in the village will have to recognize who I am!"

His smile was infectious, and she found herself returning it. She held out a fist for him to bump, a new admiration growing for the boy. "Well, I hope I get to see it when it happens."

Naruto sat in surprise, having rarely received a positive response to his declaration. But once again his smile returned and touched his fist to hers. "Believe it!"

"And what about you?" Kakashi asked, observing their interaction with mild interest.

Sakura felt like the interest was forced, but continued regardless. "I'm Sakura Haruno. I like picking flowers for my mom. My hobby is learning, and I want to protect the ones I love."

Kakashi's expression didn't seem to change, but it was hard to tell under the mask. "And your dislikes?

Sakura hesitated, her eyes flickering to Sasuke. His dispassionate look, eyes forward without even regarding the rest of his team, fueled her answer. "Arrogance."

Obsidian eyes fell on her for the first time since they went to the rooftop, expressionless, but bordering disdain. It wasn't even worth addressing. Because what did she know? She mentioned her mother - at least she had one.

His introduction was spoken slowly, filled with malice as he declared his ambition to restore his clan and "kill a certain man". But other than this, he failed to go into further detail, and though it piqued Sakura's interest, she had a feeling he wouldn't answer as freely as Naruto had. Especially not after her stab at his attitude.

However, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Kakashi's expression had darkened considerably. Her curiosity bubbled up again. Did this have to do with the massacre? She heard about the Uchiha massacre, but not in detail. Her mind wandered to the library, wondering if his family history would yield any answer.

But what if someone had searched up the history of the Harunos?

Sakura grit her teeth at the surge of discomfort accompanied with the thought and decided against research. In the end, it was Sasuke's own family history. It was none of her business to go prying around, especially if she would hate it if roles were reversed.

Instead, she turned her attention toward her new sensei and the new "mission" he was assigning them. As he continued describing the exercise, her heart rate slowly picked up pace. She didn't even know she was grinning from ear to ear until she noticed a slight ache in her cheeks.

"That's crazy, dattebeyo!" Naruto exclaimed, his hair seeming to stand up with indignance. "Then what was the graduation test for?!"

"To select potential genin," Kakashi responded matter-of-factly, strangely happy despite his menacing declarations. "I will be determining whether you pass or fail."

Sakura let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. _He's a sadist, clearly_.

It would explain everything about this strange new team leader of theirs.

She could make out Naruto's body starting to shake as the weight of the situation dawned on him. Having barely passed the academy exam, the possibility of failing again wracked the confines of his mind.

However, the declining moods of her teammates couldn't quell her own enthusiasm. Finally would she be able to see her teammates on the field. Her sensei might even participate, which would completely make her day. Years of lone practice and exercise had isolated the pink haired girl, and she couldn't be sure of her own growth without missions or evaluations above the academy level.

She put a reassuring hand on the blonde's back, giving him a smile that she hoped would calm his nerves. "Don't worry. As long as we work together we got this little exercise of his." Despite her prejudices against the Uchiha, she turned to look at him too. "That goes for all of us."

After all, it wouldn't do to have her teammates shaken before the exercise. Though she was a little anxious about team performance, they had two of the top students in the entire academy. There was no way they would fail.

Right?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

A large, indignant yawn escaped her body for being woken up at such an inhumane hour. Bleary, emerald eyes sleepily slid to the window, groaning in annoyance when she observed that the sun had yet to rise. She would definitely not have time to visit the hospital today, but had planned for that last night.

She kept her visit to the training grounds brief and simple the night before, not wanting to exhaust herself before her first exercise with her teammates. Right after, she prepared a letter to drop off to the hospital addressed to her mom, updating her on the details of her new team and their exercise, explaining why she wouldn't be able to make her usual morning visit.

Sakura stretched her arms above her head, yawning again in an attempt to expel the grogginess from her body. She haphazardly forced herself into her training gear, hopping into her socks and shoes so that she wouldn't have to sit back down and face the risk of being tempted back into sleep.

Sakura Haruno really valued her sleep.

With a resigned sigh, she grabbed the neatly folded envelope containing her letter and opened the door to the crisp, morning air, willing the weights to lift from her eyelids.

Now, considering the personal strength in which Sakura mustered to wrench herself out of the comfort of her bed, she found her mood increasingly sour almost three hours later when they were still without a sensei.

Though his tardiness was hinted at during the team's first meeting, she thought it was an isolated incident.

A vein bulged in her forehead as she tapped her foot, the excitement of her nerves replaced by impatience and disbelief.

 _This man really_ _ **is**_ _a sadist!_

"Man, this sucks, dattebeyo!" Naruto whined. "5 in the morning, my ass! I coulda totally gone for ramen!"

Sakura wholeheartedly agreed - she could've done much more than sit around if she had known that he was going to be hours late, again. She had done her stretches three times over, not wanting her muscles to stiffen up with inactivity and not knowing when to stop since his arrival time was a mystery. She wasn't about to let her sensei's tardiness affect her performance.

By her fourth round of stretches, Naruto joined her out of boredom, plopping next to her and reaching for his feet while grumbling under his breath about a certain silver haired jounin. Sasuke, on the other hand, deemed himself above stretching, and settled for sharpening his weapons.

Sakura glanced in his direction as she pulled her right arm behind her head. "You know, Sasuke, you're subject to muscular pains too."

He didn't even look up from his kunai. "Hn."

Emerald eyes rolled. The Uchiha's pride knew no bounds.

Naruto grinned at her reassuringly. "Don't you worry, Sakura-chan! Once he pulls a muscle and humiliates himself, I'll jump in and save the day, dattebeyo!"

Sasuke slowed in his sharpening, the quip seeming to irk the Uchiha. After a few seconds of pause, he slowly put his weapons back in their holsters and began to stretch as well.

Sakura stifled a giggle at the rivalry between the two - it was almost romantic. She kept her gleeful expression hidden by quickly moving to tuck her head between her arms as she stretched both hands to reach for her feet.

Sasuke's pride was obviously fragile - she didn't want to scare him off with her laughter and have him stop stretching.

The group stretch was the state in which their sensei found their team, and upon hearing his arrival, Naruto and Sakura jumped up in simultaneous outrage, "YOU'RE LATE!"

Kakashi dismissed their anger with a wave of his hand and a merry eye crinkle. "Well, a black cat crossed my path, you see, so I had to take the longer route-"

Upon seeing his students' increasing annoyance, the jounin stopped, cleared his throat awkwardly, and pulled out a clock timer. He rested the clock on a stump, setting the arms to 12.

He watched the gazes of his students slowly change from fury to curiosity as they watched his movements. With a jingle, he pulled out two sets of bells from his pocket. "There - the timer is set to noon. Your assignment is to take these from me. Those who fail, don't get lunch."

In response, Naruto and Sasuke's faces fell as their stomachs grumbled in protest.

Sakura, on the other hand, had eaten breakfast anyway and sighed a breath of relief. She had thrown up her meal during multiple training occasions, and in her opinion having food to throw up was infinitely better than dry heaving.

Naruto groaned at the prospect of completing an exercise on an empty stomach. Not only that, lunch wasn't guaranteed. "Mou, so that's the reason you had us skip breakfast. That's cheap, sensei…"

"If you fail to get a bell, you will be tied to that stump and I'll eat my lunch before your very eyes," Kakashi continued… with what Sakura could swear was a small smile.

His obvious joy at their grief was overshadowed by her sudden realization. "There are two bells… which means…"

Kakashi's mask shifted as his smile grew wider. "Yes - at least one will be tied to the logs. That person will be disqualified for failing the mission and be sent back to the academy."

Sakura's mind raced as she processed the information, her heart rate increasing with both anticipation and anxiety. Being sent back to the academy wasn't too big of a threat - she knew that she would simply excel once more. It would definitely be a setback and definitely not preferable, but nothing she couldn't remedy.

Her eyes assessed her sensei - he didn't seem to have any ill intent, other than his tendency toward sadism. He wasn't going to beat them to the ground, it seemed, so at least there was a level of safety to this exercise.

Often, with Hasao, she couldn't be completely sure that he was void of killing intent, but deep down she knew she could trust him. This mentor, on the other hand, was completely different. He seemed pleasant enough on the outside, but she couldn't feel like she could trust him whatsoever. To Kakashi, she was replaceable. If she didn't pass his test, she had a feeling that he wouldn't hesitate to toss her to the side.

Emerald eyes shifted over to her teammates, and found the two boys completely enraptured in the peril that lied behind Kakashi's challenge. Because they found danger in his threat, they completely withdrew into self-interest.

Sakura bit at her lip in thought. The fact that there could only be two victors in the best scenario would make teamwork exceptionally difficult. She turned her attention back to the jounin that was slowly pitting them against one another. His sadism seemed to run much deeper than she initially thought.

She was yanked out of her thoughts when Naruto suddenly drew out a kunai in response to a personal jab Kakashi had thrown in. Her thoughts had been so focused on formulating a plan of action that she hadn't been paying attention to the exchange at hand.

By the time she understood what was happening, Naruto had already lunged forward. She reached out to yank him back, but she was too late - Kakashi had already began moving. His speed was impeccable, and Sakura's brain quickly realized she wouldn't reach her teammate in time.

Her hand quickly switched to the ends of her headband, yanking the engraved hitai-ate free from her hair and used the momentum from her own step to whip out.

Just as Kakashi pushed Naruto's hand behind the blond's own head, forcing Naruto to point his kunai at the back of his own neck, Sakura managed to catch the tip with the fabric of her headband. She violently snapped her wrist back at herself, pulling the kunai from Naruto's hand before Kakashi could use it for his own purposes.

With the jerk of her headband, the weapon flew out of Naruto's hands and past Sakura's own head, centimeters away from clipping her ear.

Sakura landed ungracefully on her elbows, but managed to force her body to roll so that her joints wouldn't take the full brunt of her weight. Once she looked up again, Kakashi was staring at her with an expression of light surprise.

The emotion was shown for a fraction of a second, quickly replaced with the jounin's usual relaxed complexion.

Once she realized he wasn't going to proceed with something else, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. It was an accomplishment of complete luck, no thanks to her lack of awareness.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully, releasing Naruto's hand from his firm grasp. "I didn't say to start. But at least you came at me with the intention to kill."

Sakura blinked.

 _It hadn't even started yet?_

She gave Naruto a dirty look, dusting the grass off her elbows as she got off the ground. "Why'd you start on your own, baka? I thought the test started because you suddenly attacked!"

Kakashi's eye crinkled. "It seems like… I'm finally starting to like you guys."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

Sakura used her hands to slow her momentum as she landed with force hard enough for her to skid backwards, her legs aching in complaint to the added strain.

Hasao watched her mutely for a second before pointing upward.

Before Sakura could even look up, she felt a sharp pain on her head, and instinctively reached both hands up to cup the offended area from further damage. "Itai itai itai…"

A gleaming object to her right caught her attention, and she scowled upon realizing that she had been hit with the handle of kunai. Hasao had thrown the kunai lightly enough that its weight eventually caused the weapon to slip from the tree above and right onto her head.

Sakura pouted, glaring at the grass to prevent herself from tearing up. She had been so focused on dodging his weapons, she hadn't even considered that he was planning anything else.

She threw her own weapon to the ground and folded her arms grumpily. "Mou, how am I supposed to dodge all your attacks and think at the same time?" She kicked at the grass angrily, her frustration throughout the night finally overflowing. "I just can't do it."

Hasao let out a sympathetic sigh and slowly closed the distance between him and the pink haired child.

His voice was soft and soothing. "Everyone has their own unique strengths and weaknesses in battle - everyone is different. Don't focus on matching my speed, focus on using your strength to your advantage - your intelligence." Bright green eyes moved to his, the furrow in her brow disappearing as she gazed up at him, soaking in his words.

"A friend told me once, that having the skill to track down a fugitive is important, but so is understanding how he thinks. You can thwart him by understanding his mindset without having physical skill." He paused, letting his words sink in. "You're smarter than most, Sakura, and you can use that to your advantage. "

The pink haired girl blushed at the rare compliment, slowly forgetting the ache in her limbs.

However, the moment didn't last long, for Hasao lashed out with his hand to grab her arm. Having experienced many surprise attacks, Sakura instinctively jumped back, leaving Hasao to grab empty air.

She grinned at her successful evasion, and pulled three kunai from her own holster. "Not this time, sensei!"

As she launched her weapons in his direction, she liked to think that there was a small smile before he evaded her attack.

* * *

Safely hidden behind bushes, Sakura watched as Naruto was launched into the lake with Kakashi's deadly "Thousand Years of Pain", wincing as the tiger seal made contact with a sensitive area.

Understand your opponent…? How can I possibly begin to understand the inner mechanisms of this strange man?

Two kunai flew from where the lake toward Kakashi, to Sakura's surprise. She was pretty impressed that he could aim accurately despite his lack of vision.

Sakura always had a sensitivity toward chakra and its movement. Therefore, when she felt his chakra splitting into multiples within the lake, her admiration grew, watching with a growing grin when only a single Naruto slowly clambered out.

 _This jutsu…! He's planning an ambush!_

Once she realized his intent, she moved to reposition herself. Kakashi most likely knew what was about to happen - if she could feel Naruto's chakra signatures split off, so could the jounin. However, it could open up room for her to enact a surprise attack. She ran while keeping an eye on the clearing, and almost ran into another chakra signature in her haste. Sakura stopped herself in time, finding scathing onyx eyes tensely watching her approach. Sakura held out a hand in apology, but not without rolling her eyes a bit.

This one obviously expected the worst from her. But that was understandable. Respect was earned, after all.

She tapped her temple with a slight smile, indicating that she had a plan in mind, and eagerly took a spot a couple feet away from him, watching the scene unfold.

From the field, Naruto gazed at his opponent, eyes blazing with determination. "There's no turning back now, dattebeyo! I'm going to become a ninja no matter what!"

With his declaration, seven of Naruto's shadow clones burst from the lake, all equally soaked. "Security is your greatest enemy! Now for my favorite multi-shadow clone jutsu!"

Kakashi tore his eyes away from his orange book, his single eye widening a fraction in mock surprise.

Sakura moved quickly, knowing that she only had a small window of opportunity, and threw three low shuriken at Kakashi's legs. The jounin jumped backwards to avoid the attack, backing right up into a clone that was approaching from behind.

The clone snickered in victory, holding Kakashi down by wrapping his arms and legs like an ape. "A ninja shouldn't let themselves be taken from behind, sensei!"

Sakura had also dashed into the clearing, aiming for the jounin. However, she quickly realized that the silver haired jounin was already channeling his chakra for another jutsu. "Kuso!"

 _He's already trying to escape!_

She threw two kunai aimed for Kakashi's head, and waited for him to throw his head back to avoid it. She planned to use the blind spot when an opponent throws their head back to attack his hands and interrupt the jutsu.

Unfortunately, the silver haired jounin seemed to anticipate her intent, and instead threw the clone on his back into her projectiles, causing the clone to dissapate with a poof and leave the jounin with free arms.

Meanwhile, Sakura had already began her next move, and used the momentum from her dash to slide forward with a foot extended. She approached with great speed, aiming for his shins. Kakashi jumped, as calculated, but as Sakura reached out to grab his ankle, his jutsu completed. Instead, she grabbed the foot of a clone, just as Naruto threw a punch at where Kakashi had previously been.

Sakura quickly let go before she dragged any clones with her in her kick-slide and used her hand to stop her slide. She growled, slamming her fist into the grass in frustration.

 _If I was a second faster, I could've made contact and used a genjutsu!_

Behind her, shouting erupted and broke her out of her thoughts. She looked back to see the Naruto clones engaged in a heated fight. A vein in her temple popped as they threw around punches and yells of, "You're Kakashi-sensei, aren't you?!" and "You smell like old man!".

The pink haired girl pushed herself to her feet, brushing the grass off of herself. "Stop, you baka. He used a substitution jutsu to escape - he's not here anymore. He must've known about the clone and let himself get caught to pull off this trick."

At her words, the clones paused in their brawl, blinking as realization seeped in. They stopped fighting, but continued to eye each other suspiciously. "How do I know none of you posers are Kakashi-sensei in disguise as me?"

A clone with a fistfull of another's hair in his hand yelled, "Wait! Why don't you dispel the jutsu and then only two Naruto's will be left anyway!"

"Why didn't you think of that earlier, baka?"

"You're me, you idiot, now undo the jutsu!"

Sakura groaned and squeezed the bridge of her nose in annoyance, in disbelief at her teammate's simple-mindedness.

He has the skill and chakra storage to conduct such an impressive jutsu, yet is weighed down by his lack of brain cells!

Sure enough, Naruto and Sakura were the only ones left in the clearing once the rest of the clones were dispelled.

"Hey look! He dropped his bell!"

Sakura snapped her head up, eyes wide when she realized what was happening. "No you-!"

With a snap, blue eyes widened with surprise as his world suddenly flipped, and found himself dangling upside-down with a rope around his ankle. "S-Sakura-chan quick! The bell!"

Sakura hesitated. The worst thing you could do was underestimate your opponent, and Kakashi had most definitely planned a trap for her as well. Instead, she threw a kunai at the base of Naruto's rope, freeing the blonde from his confinements.

The Uzumaki instinctively landed on a handstand, bending his elbows to soften the impact. However, a second rope, triggered by the weight, immediately tightened around his torso and yanked him back up to his original position. "Mou…! Are you serious, dattebeyo?!"

Sakura snorted and burst into laughter, finding the constant misfortune of her teammate highly amusing. "Good thing I didn't go for the bell, huh, Naruto?"

Kakashi leapt down from his spot in the trees and crouched to pick up the metal object. "It seems like only one of you two has any sense, hm?"

Sakura shifted her stance to the defensive, feeling for her opponent's chakra movement. For the moment, it felt like his normal chakra, so she was sure it wasn't a clone. Though, she could tell that he had something in store by the way his chakra was so fluidly moving, ready for his next move.

"Be careful when you use chakra - it can be used against you, like I did with the clones" he lectured, lightly tossing the bell in mockery. "And, Naruto, don't fall for such an obvious trap, you fool."

In the midst of his lecturing, a barrage of weapons emerged from Sasuke's position within the bushes, curving for the jounin. Before the weapons were even halfway to his position, Sakura felt Kakashi's chakra spike. Emerald eyes narrowed on her opponent, observing him intently she tried to predict what he was going to do.

 _It's not going to work._

Much to Naruto's horror, Sasuke's weapons embedded themselves into the target, throwing Kakashi's body to the side with its impact. "T-Teme! You've gone too far, you asshole!"

As the jounin's replaced his original self with another log, Sakura jumped into the leaves of the tree where Naruto was trapped, concealing herself, and with a great leap, escaped into the surrounding foliage once more.

She turned to dash deeper into the forest. She doubted that the jounin would waste any more time hanging around that clearing. She could feel Sasuke's chakra similarly jerk away from its spot, now that his position had been compromised.

Sakura bit her bottom lip in thought, eyes scanning her surroundings for clues as to the silver haired man's whereabouts.

 _What's your next move, you sadistic pervert?_

* * *

Sasuke glowered at the dirt, cursing at himself for not being fast enough. That old bastard had pulled him under the ground, and now the Uchiha was reduced to just a head above dirt.

His finger brushed the bell, felt the cold metal on the tip of his hand, and lost the opportunity just as quickly as it came. It was closer than any of his teammates had gotten to grabbing their objective, but a failure was still a failure. And now, he was wasting precious time by being stuck in the ground as the hours quickly approached noon.

He growled, attempting to wiggle his shoulders so that he could loosen the soil around his body, but stopped when he heard footsteps. He turned, and found himself looking at his pink-haired teammate frozen mid-step.

They blinked at each other for a second before he spoke.

"Sakura?"

The sound of her name seemed to break the kunoichi, and she fell to her knees with her head bowed, her cheeks puffed to keep her laughter from breaking out. Tears came to her eyes with the effort to preserve her teammate's dignity. Sasuke watched with building resentment as she use her shirt to muffle her delight, dark eyes glaring at her hair in hopes that he could somehow set it aflame to stop her laughter.

Sakura found herself laughing so hard she was gasping for breath, "I can't believe… (gasp)... he did this… (gasp)... dear Kami… (gasp)... he's the best…!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance and returned to his wiggling effort to loosen the dirt around him, seeing that his teammate wasn't making the move to help out.

Seeing this, Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes and finally moved to help him, though her infuriating laughter still seemed to have no end. "Sorry," she cackled, "This just doesn't happen often."

With a strength that impressed the Uchiha, she pulled him out of the ground and onto flat land again. He let out a sigh of relief as his limbs were freed again, giving the girl a curious glance as he brushed the dirt off of himself.

She was first in the academy, even above himself, but he found himself with low expectations since he associated her as one of his first fangirls. However, her intuition had surprised him multiple times already throughout the exercise, and he couldn't help but feel a smidgen of respect building for her talent.

The presence of others still proved to be a hindrance, but this pink haired nuisance had proved herself to have earned the headband that rested on her head.

But he should be thinking about the mission on hand.

His teammate seemed to share his thoughts, and her expression turned serious. "We have to go. We don't have much time left."

Sasuke gave a curt nod, but before they could leave, the sound of the timer pierced the air.

Sakura let out a colorful string of curses, in which Sasuke found himself agreeing with.

Time was up. And none of them had grabbed a single bell.

* * *

A/N: Lemme know how you like this chapter! Hope whoever's reading this has a great day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

Sakura rubbed her eyes, attempting to ease the heaviness that threatened to tease her into sleep. She stretched, first rolling her head in a full circle, her neck emitting little popping noises from being held in the same position for so long.

Beside her laid the form of her sleeping mother, filling the hospital room with deep, regulated breathing that matched the slow rise and fall of the blanket. Reassured by the presence of another, Sakura felt her tension and weariness ease.

Earlier in the day, Team 7 had been granted approval after the stressful events of their examination. To Sakura, their passing had been nothing short of a miracle, and she had essentially resigned herself to the increasing possibility of being returned to the Academy.

Kakashi had minced no words after their first attempts to grab the bell., revealing the true intent of his exam as a test of teamwork rather than individual skill. He berated each of them for the actions that led to failure, mercilessly picking out the individualistic tendencies that inhibited their potential to succeed as a team.

Naruto tended toward reckless attack, acting solo without planning ahead or even considering a dynamic that included his other teammates.

Sasuke assumed superiority, immediately labeling his teammates as hindrances toward his goal and therefore disregarding beneficial possibilities based arrogance.

Sakura perceived the others as tools rather than teammates, seeing their attacks as opportunity for openings for her own success, excluding her teammates from her plans and preventing teamwork.

After his scathing criticism, he granted them another chance at teamwork, allowing a short lunch break before their second attempt, and disappeared with a 'poof'.

Sakura and Sasuke were granted food to the dismay of the tied up blonde, but Sakura didn't touch hers. Instead, the implications of her failures ran through her mind, fixing a glare at the grass.

How could she have failed to realize the ulterior motives of the jounin? Ninjas were supposed to see through deception, and yet she failed to recognize the glaring signs that Kakashi placed out for them.

In the back of her mind, she had realized the impossibility of any of them beating a jounin, but stubbornly ignored it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly, the blonde grimacing as his hunger changed to physical pain.

Sakura's disappointment had outweighed her hunger, and it sat untouched before her. She grabbed the box and held it toward Naruto. At the same time, Sasuke offered his own lunch.

The two shared eye contact, surprised, but neither retracted their offers.

Sakura laughed as Naruto's blue eyes welled up with tears at the unexpected empathy,. She gently put her bento down at Naruto's feet, implying that she was relinquishing ownership of it. "You two can share mine - I ate breakfast," she shot the two a teasing grin, "unlike you gullible bastards."

Naruto's stomach grumbled again as the smell of beef wafted from the box. "B-But you can't, Sakura-chan! You heard what the sensei said-"

"Kakashi's not here right now," Sasuke interjected. "We're supposed to grab these bells as a team, and if one of us can't perform because of hunger, then the entire mission is jeopardized anyway. So eat quickly, before he comes back."

A couple more seconds of hesitation dragged out, in which each teammate understood the next step but were reluctant to confront. Sakura took initiative and cleared her throat, grabbing a kunai from her holster, pointing it at Naruto while giving Sasuke an expectant look.

"Sasuke, will you be so kind? Naruto seems to be short of hands."

At the implication, Sasuke nearly choked on his rice, but before he could protest, Sakura had gone on. "While Naruto eats, we should discuss the plan of attack to grab those bells."

Naruto let out a faint noise of discomfort, and glanced at Sasuke uneasily. He was bummed that he couldn't be fed by a cute girl, or at least someone radiating less… animosity, but being tied to a pole he recognized that his outcome could be much worse.

Sasuke was internally torn at first, his pride made him livid at the thought of feeding an idiot, but as Sakura began drawing figures in the sand to form plans of attack, he was reminded that these were procedures necessary for success. Absentmindedly, he took a piece of egg from Sakura's bento to feed Naruto, intently keeping his eyes on the shapes forming in the sand to stay sane.

That's when Sakura sensed chakra buildup signifying a teleportation jutsu.

 _We've been found out!_

She immediately propelled the kunai she was drawing with into the rope that bound Naruto to the pole, cutting through the strands and releasing the blonde from its grip. Then, she turned to face Kakashi's looming figure.

If he was going to fight them for breaking the rules, she would be damned if they were going in handicapped.

The next sequence of events consisted of the genin falling into defense, preparing to face whatever the jounin had up his sleeve next.

Then, suddenly, they had passed.

Somewhere, among the hours of the tense examination, they had recognized each other as teammates, and unconsciously decided to band together against a common enemy - even if it meant he was their only path to become true genin.

Sakura, however, was not satisfied. This still meant that she lacked the skill to bring her teammates to victory, and failed to protect them in a real life scenario. Their first mission would be assigned tomorrow, and she had yet to assure herself of her own capabilities.

This led her to the current scenario, in which she spent the rest of the evening catching her mother up to current events, and the two retreating into their own minds as the elder Haruno engrossed herself into a book, and the younger one into her studies.

Emerald eyes glanced at the clock overhead, and released a light sigh through her nose when she realized the night had slipped by. It had been 4 AM for a couple minutes now, and her team had plans to meet up at 8.

 _Considering the current pattern, he probably won't show up until 10._

At that thought, she quietly turned off the lamp that illuminated the desk space that the nurses had allotted as hers, eyes dilating as the moonlight became the only source of light bathing illuminating the room.

Before leaving, she pressed a kiss to her mother's forehead, whispering a quick farewell before she was gone, the window opening and closing without a sound.

Little did she know, dark onyx eyes outside caught her movement, watching her departure with curiosity.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

Team 7 watched as Tora the cat was reunited with her owner, the heavyweight woman nearly crushing the cat within her smothering embrace.

Pink eyebrows furrowed, internal morals clashing as the scene unfolded. "Did we just subject this poor animal to prolonged abuse?"

Naruto crossed his arms, pouting under the fresh scratches adorning his face. "Serves her right, damn cat."

Madame Shijimi excused herself from the office, practically skipping out of the room with Tora in tow. The Madame possessed a large amount of wealth, and could afford to pay for the city's services to hunt her cat down. As Tora consistently attempted to find freedom, this mission was a common assignment for lower class ninja.

Unfortunately, that meant Tora would never find freedom.

Sakura made a mental note to aid in the feline's escape if they ever crossed paths.

"Now then," Sarutobi scanned the paper, dragging on his pipe as he read through the contents with his calming, signature drawl.

Here, Team 7 would be tasked with their next assignment, having finished their first with ease. Normally, she would be disappointed, but deep down Sakura was relieved to find most of their missions were glorified chores.

It was a little disturbing to realize that Konoha was using its military for menial tasks, but she understood the relationship it built with the citizens - especially when they're being handled by wide eyed genin. Furthermore, the excursions of the previous night had pushed her limits, and she found herself running on low fuel the entire day.

If these missions required her at full capacity, she would have been in real trouble-

"Okay fine! If you insist, I'll grant you a C-rank mission… as bodyguards."

Sakura snapped back to reality, having only half registered the tantrum Naruto had been throwing with the officials. The blonde's vocal dissent had been a given, but she hadn't expected the Hokage to cave under his pressure.

 _Oh no… Ohhh nonono…_

Naruto perked up, at full attention, having moved past surprise to the details of the mission. "Who is it, who is it, dattebeyo? A feudal lord? A princess?"

A flushed, middle aged man opened the door, equipment for his journey strapped to his back. He had the hands of a laborer, and loosely held a bottle that he promptly finished as he met his entourage. "What's this, a bunch of snot nosed brats? Especially you - the smallest one with the idiot-looking face. Are you really a ninja?"

Naruto burst into laughter at the jab, turning to his teammates to see who it was aimed at. "Who's the smallest one with the idiot face he's talking abo-"

Kakashi grabbed the blonde before the insult sank in, holding up the genin like one would an aggressive puppy. On cue, Naruto exploded into a stream of, "I'LL KILL HIM DATTEBEYO WHO'S HE CALLING AN IDIOT HE BETTER COME OVER HERE BEFORE I BEAT HIS ASS", kicking the air as he vigorously returned the favor.

"You asked for this damn mission, Naruto," Sakura snapped. "What's the point beating the client you're supposed to protect, baka?"

Once Naruto calmed down, the man introduced himself.

He was a veteran bridge builder named Tazuna, who was returning to his village to finish bridge construction.

Emerald eyes sized up their client, tense.

C-ranked missions were often assigned to Chunin, sometimes Genin, and didn't promise combat. Though probability assured the pink haired kunoichi to relax, she found herself on edge as she sized up their client.

Regardless, they were promptly dismissed and given a couple hours to gather supplies for their upcoming mission and regroup.

Before leaving, Sakura grabbed at their sensei's sleeve, halting his departure.

She gazed at him, attempting to discern whether her unease rooted from paranoia, but Kakashi's unemotional gaze offered no hints. "Yes, Sakura?"

She hesitated, wondering if she should voice her concerns, but decided against it - at least, not in front of the officials. Instead, she gave a shy smile. "Just excited. See you soon, sensei!"

Unfazed, Kakashi gave her a one-eyed smile, giving a nonchalant salute before he disappeared with a ' _poof'_.

Sakura chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. Even if he had known something, that sadist would probably send their merry asses down anyway.

Might as well take the time to cram in a nap.

* * *

An hour into their trek, Naruto had retained his excitement, having already declared his intention to become Hokage to Tazuna, in which the bridge builder promptly shut him down.

Sakura tried to remain lighthearted, making small talk by asking the bridge builder about his hometown, the Land of the Waves.

As Kakashi explained the structure of the Five Nations, Sakura quietly turned to her solemn teammate with an inquisitive look. "What?"

As expected, the Uchiha immediately looked away, uninterested.

Emerald eyes rolled, annoyed. "Fine - if you don't want to talk about it, don't talk."

Throughout the day, she had felt his eyes watching her, even during the mission capturing Tora. She could care less what he thought about her, but this was starting to get distracting.

"... Why were you at the hospital?"

Pink lashes fluttered in surprise as she snapped her head to look at her teammate. For once, he maintained her eye contact, his dark eyes penetrating into her own. She found no scrutiny, just curiosity.

Hesitantly, she replied, "My mother."

After a bit of silence, the Uchiha turned to face forward once more, seeming to accept the answer. "... Hn."

Sakura shifted her weight into her heels, a knowing smile gracing her lips. "Looks like someone else was up late last night, ne?"

He didn't return her attempt at conversation, keeping his eyes fixed forward. Sakura snickered, about to move into another teasing remark when the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up.

Simultaneously, Kakashi glanced at a puddle they passed, affirming her suspicions. She didn't turn to look, but upon passing that puddle, she had felt a ripple of chakra… and animosity.

The kunoichi feigned an itch, scratching near her holster and hooking a pinky onto the handle of a kunai.

Everything happened at once, their peaceful walk suddenly transforming into a battleground with a single spike of chakra.

Sakura darted in front of Tazuna as spiked chains shot into the air, enveloping Kakashi. Her teammates reacted a second late, turning with exclamations of surprise that matched their sensei's stunned expression.

Two figures had appeared behind the jounin, each holding an end of the chain. They yanked at the restraints, cutting Kakashi's figure into ribbons before the others. "The first one!"

"K-Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto stood frozen as his sensei's bloody remains rained onto the dirt path.

As they moved to target the blonde, Sakura threw her kunai, three consecutive kunai trapping the chains into nearby trees. "Sasuke!"

Fortunately, the Uchiha was ahead of her, and jumped between the two. He grabbed their hands, twisting his body to land simultaneous kicks. As their attentions were fixed on Sasuke, Sakura launched two more kunai that embedded into their gear.

She had fused her own chakra into the weapons, the resulting contact allowing a genjutsu to wash over their attackers just as they released the chains holding them down. Their bodies froze, momentarily trapped within her jutsu, allowing Sasuke to land a downward kick on one of their throats, rendering him unconscious.

As the Uchiha moved to deal with the other, the nin snapped out of his paralysis to block the kick, and dashed around, changing his target to Tazuna. Sakura cursed and turned to grab the bridge builder, scooping the man into her arms to engage in flight.

Suddenly, the nin's path was blocked, arm hooking around his neck that used the momentum to crush his airway.

The arm was connected to their silver haired jounin, who casually swung the offender over his shoulder. "Yo."

Sakura relaxed with a sigh, relieved that Kakashi had decided to intervene. She slowly lowered Tazuna's legs, holding the man up when she felt him wobble as he touched the ground, still recovering from shock. "That extra beer probably wasn't a good idea, ne?"

She glanced at Naruto, whose legs had simultaneously given out and sat in a squat. Beside the trauma, he seemed uninjured, gazing at his sensei in amazement as he pieced together Kakashi's use of the substitution jutsu.

The jounin now carried the two offenders in each arm, having picked the second one off the ground. "Sorry for not helping earlier, Naruto. I didn't think you'd be incapable of moving. Sakura, Sasuke - good job."

Naruto blinked, realizing that the danger was over, and pushed himself up off the ground. Everyone seemed to have known what to do... and yet he failed to move an inch, paralyzed by fear and surprise.

The blonde reflected Sakura's own position in the past, her horror at being helpless threatening to dredge itself up from seeing the expression of Naruto's face. Sakura felt a wave of empathy, but knew that attempting consolation right now would only deepen the wound.

Sasuke obviously didn't share her sentiment, and moved to taunt their teammate, which Sakura abruptly interrupted with a sharp elbow. He sent her a glare which she returned, leading him to huff in annoyance and cross his arms. "Fine."

She had shared a moment of harmony with him during the battle, each trusting the other to play their parts in a moment of urgency. A flicker of respect had softened his image in her mind, almost allowing her to forget her perception of him as an egotistical bastard.

 _Almost._

Sakura sighed, mirroring his crossed arms as she turned to Tazuna. "I felt uneasy about this mission, but it looks like I wasn't just nervous. It seems like there's more to Tazuna-san than we thought."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna claimed, defensive. "This is your job as ninja, no?"

"I didn't help because I wanted to discern their target," Kakashi mused. "Chunin from the village of the hidden mist… and we haven't heard that you would be targeted by ninja - this was just supposed to be a simple escort, hm?"

At his implication, Tazuna remained silent, but beads of sweat rolled down his forehead revealed the truth of the situation.

"This mission is beyond the scope of what's required," the jounin continued. "This is a mission of B rank or higher. Perhaps there's a reason, but being lied to won't do. Those chains were poisoned - had they made contact with Naruto, they would require immediate hospital treatment."

"I agree," Sakura declared, livid. "We were not prepared for this type of engagement. Naruto could have gotten seriously hurt, and I refuse to risk our team for-"

"NO!"

All eyes turned to the source of the exclamation. Naruto stood with both fists clenched, his eyes glinting with anger. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME, DAMMIT?" He grit his teeth, and promptly unsheathed his own kunai and stabbed himself in the leg.

Everyone watched in astonishment, speechless as blood began to flow from the wound.

"Why… am I always different? Here I am carrying out missions and doing special skill-training sessions everyday... " Slowly, determination replaced the anguish in his voice. "I'll never get into another situation where I need to be rescued. I'll never be afraid or cowardly, or lose to Sasuke again - I swear on the pain in my left leg!

I'll protect you old man, with this kunai!"

Irises reflecting the color of the sky shone with passion, forcing his grimace of pain into a characteristic grin. "The mission continues!"

Sakura found her doubt morphing into hope, watching as the previously helpless blonde easily channel his regret into motivation. A smile gently spread across her features, as she witnessed what would be one of many Naruto-esque moments that changed her perception entirely - both of him, and of their possibilities.

She closed her eyes in defeat, chuckling under her breath as his positive energy seemed to overwhelm the space with its impossible warmth.

 _It seems like I've underestimated him after all._

Kakashi blinked, pointing at the injury. "Ah… Naruto, you're going to bleed to death if we don't treat the wound."

At the statement, Naruto's passion drained from his face, turning pale as the consequences of his actions caught up to him. "AH… AHHHHHH!"

Sakura shared a look of exasperation with the Uchiha before letting out a snorting laugh. "Alright you stubborn bastard - let's get you fixed up and go."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

The sun began to set, signaling the end of a day. After the excitement of the ambush, the entourage easily decided to rest. More skirmishes were possible, and proceeding without vision would be suicide. Therefore, they set up camp in a little clearing off the path, their sleeping bags providing a thin barrier against the hard forest floor.

Naruto fell asleep the minute his sleeping bag was unraveled, his mouth left open to emit an obnoxious snoring that most likely scared off any nearby wildlife.

Therefore, Sakura was left with the task to gather firewood, which she begrudgingly dragged herself off to do. Though her body ached to rest, the task allowed her a bit of alone time with herself, enjoying the silence as she scavenged for wood.

A fallen piece of bamboo caught her eye, half eaten. She paused, a wave of memories washing over her. Gently, she set down the firewood she had gathered, and picked up the broken branch.

Swiftly, she whipped the bamboo through the air like a katana, before pointing it forward at an imaginary enemy.

Hasao had familiarized her with the pain of its strike, having substituted katanas for these. Though there was no real danger, the ache was enough to serve as a physical deterrent from making the same mistake.

* * *

Her skin burned, the areas of impact seeming to heat up as they continued. However, she knew that if she thought about the pain for a minute, her formation would break and introduce another searing mark to her body.

Suddenly, as she pushed against the weight of her weapon, she heard a crack and felt one end of her makeshift sword shatter under force. At her surprise, Hasao forcefully reminded her of the ongoing battle with a jab to the rib, causing the girl to emit a cry of pain as she crumpled to the ground.

As she rubbed the offended area, Hasao scolded, "You must adapt. You should not give in, no matter how the situation changes. Changing your misfortune into a tool - you could have treated the broken bamboo as a stake or a spear. No matter what happens, never close your eyes and do not panic."

He tossed her another, unbroken stalk of bamboo. "Again."

* * *

The kunoichi felt resistance mid swing, hearing a ' _smack'_ as her weapon made contact with a human arm. Blinking, she found herself staring into the eyes of her dark haired teammate, his hand keeping the weapon from hitting his face.

Even through the darkness, she could feel his onyx eyes piercing her being.

Knowing the pain, Sakura immediately dropped her weapon and rushed to grab the Uchiha's arm, apologizing profusely. "Kami, I didn't mean to do that - are you hurt?"

She inspected her teammate's wrist, eyebrows furrowed as she attempted to discern if there was a break, since the swing had connected with the thinly protected bones of his arm.

Sasuke didn't immediately pull away from her grasp, which Sakura took to mean that some pain was felt during contact.

"You were assigned a task, Sakura. What were you doing?"

Sakura waved away his question, focused on the slowly swelling joint. "Unravel your panties Uchiha, it's only been a couple of minutes."

After some prodding, Sakura sighed in relief. "It's not sprained or broken - just irritated. Here… hold still."

Dark eyes watched as the girl's eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. To his alarm, her hands began to glow a faint green, and he instinctively yanked his hand back. His own eyebrows knotted as he scrutinized his teammate with alarm, trying to understand what she was trying to pull.

Concentration broken, the glowing stopped, and Sakura glared up at her teammate. "Look, I'm trying to fix this, ok? Do you want sore wrists tomorrow or not?"

Holding his hand away, Sasuke snapped, "This was your fault in the first place!"

"Then let me fix it," Sakura hissed.

After a minute of sustained glares, Sakura sighed and held out her hand in request. "The nurses taught me a thing or two... since they see me a lot at the hospital. Please?"

Still wary, Sasuke slowly lowered his wrist into her open palm. Her lashes lowered, gently cupping her other hand on top of his joint. Once again, her hands began to glow a faint green, and a creeping warmth began to envelop his injury.

Suddenly, he recognized what this was. Healing ninjutsu.

He had experienced this often in the hospital. With the other nurses, it had felt intrusive, their foreign chakra needling into his body with a similar but disconcerting warmth that left him feeling almost nauseous.

Sakura's, on the other hand, felt like a warm embrace, spreading an ambient heat throughout his joint that seemed to dissolve the pain.

He watched as the swelling began to subside, his wrist returning to its original state as if nothing had happened. As the glowing subsided, the warm slowly retracted back into her hands, leaving his wrist feeling cold, like a blanket was pulled off that exposed his skin to the bitter wind.

There was a stretch of silence as Sasuke gazed at his wrist, then at Sakura, intrigued. The girl had seemed so petite and naive. What else were those small hands capable of doing?

Sakura cleared her throat awkwardly. "You can… have it back now. I'm done."

The Uchiha realized he had kept the weight of his arm in her palms for too long, and snatched his hand back. "Go back to camp. We still don't have a campfire, since someone got distracted."

Suddenly reminded of the others, Sakura cursed and grabbed the firewood she had set down. She sized him up on last time, reassuring herself that there were no more injuries and gave him an apologetic smile. "No hard feelings, ne? Won't happen again."

Without waiting for a response, Sakura dashed away in the direction of the campsite, disappearing into the darkness.

Sasuke was left staring into the darkness, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

This must be why anbu choose solo missions.

Ridiculous.

* * *

 **A/N: Since my finals finished, I was hit with fresh inspiration. I was going to stop at one upload, but I ended up posting three. Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoyed the ride so far!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 9

* * *

"Ne… Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

Sakura turned to meet concerned blue eyes. She tried to smile back reassuringly, but it felt forced. It seemed to have the opposite effect, as her teammate grimaced at her attempt.

Naruto always seemed to reflect the sunshine, sporting a warm tan complimented with golden hair and aquamarine eyes that glowed with positivity. He seemed to battle his loneliness and history of ridicule with endless determination and encouragement - inspirational, but impossible to match. Though his presence kept her from insanity, she found herself unable to mirror his relaxed positivity.

Naruto lived in the moment, relying on his stamina and athletic reflexes. Sakura, on the other hand, structured herself carefully off of planning and speculation. Surprises definitely did not suit her the way it did her teammate.

"Gomen, Naruto. It's just that we have no vision right now, so I'm a little tense."

Her teammates seemed to share a similar sentiment, Naruto taking place at the very front like a guard dog. He squinted, trying to make out any shapes in the distance.

They were sailing through a thick fog - even the water below them was barely visible. From this vantage, even if Sakura might be able to barely save herself, there was no way she could maneuver in a fight on a rocking surface amongst nin that seem to live within the water.

"When we reach the side of the bridge, we'll be in the Land of the Waves," the boatman announced, pausing mid-row.

They slowly ambled forward, the bridge coming into view as they floated forward. Shapes began to come into view, machines of construction littering the top of the bridge.

Sakura's mouth opened slightly in awe at the large pillars that held up the massive structure.

Naruto didn't hesitate to voice his awe, "SUGEI! It's huge!"

His voice echoed in the silence, causing the kunoichi to wince at the sudden noise. She turned sharply to slap a hand over his mouth.

The baotman returned her sentiment, looking around in concern. "I took this boat out under the cover of fog, even rowing so that we won't have engine sounds. We'll be in deep trouble if they spot us."

Sakura lowered her hand with a glare as Naruto put his own hands over his mouth, eyes wide.

The assailants from before flashed through their minds, reminding them that the attackers had hidden within water, which they were currently surrounded by.

Kakashi turned a stern gaze over to the bridge builder. "Tazuna-san, I want to ask you something before we arrive at the pier."

Ever since they were assigned to the team, the silver-haired jounin had been surprisingly serious the entire time. Considering that he read porn in broad daylight, Sakura was genuinely taken aback when she recognized his leadership regarding this mission.

 _Maybe he does take things seriously… occasionally._

Those riding the boat turned their bodies to watch Tazuna as he began to describe the man targeting him, Gato. Gato was the chief executive of a shipping company and one of the richest men in the five regions. This man was known for his ruthless business tactics, using his money and power to aggressively take over nations and enterprises - including the Land of the Waves.

"Taking control of the Land of the Waves means having control of finance, the government, the people… everything," Tazuna explained. "The completion of the bridge is a hinderance to him, but its construction has gone on for a while now..."

"The Land of the Waves is a very poor nation, and even feudal lords have no money, much less ordinary citizens like me. We can't afford to request B rank missions, or higher."

Sakura bit her lip, distraught at the circumstances. "But if we pull out of the mission, you'll be killed."

"But there's no need for concern!" Tazuna laughed knowingly. "Should I die, my cute grandchild who will turn eight will only cry his heart out! And my daughter will blame hidden leaf ninja for the rest of her life and grieve in solitude!"

Sakura's eye twitched, knowing the implications of his threat. She glanced at her sensei, who scratched his head awkwardly. "I... guess we have no choice but to continue as his bodyguards."

The rest of Team 7 exchanged exasperated glances as the bridge keeper snickered to himself. Even if they had called reinforcements, Gato would have already cleaned his hands of the bridge builder and ongoing construction.

Regardless, Sakura had been deprived of action until this mission, and the battle before allowed her to finally stretch her muscles from the chores of before. Being a bodyguard gave her a chance to practice protecting someone, and might hone her skills for when she'll need to protect the ones she loved in the future.

An image of her mom flashed through her head, strengthening her resolve. If she died during the mission, then it meant she had failed to protect those she aspired to protect anyway.

Though they had been forced to carry on, she could tell her teammates had no intention of half-assing this assignment either.

Her tension melted, replaced with anticipation. "Don't worry, Tazuna-sama. We'll make sure you safely complete this damn bridge."

Tazuna smirked, adjusting his hat as his village came to view. "You better, you little squirts!"

* * *

"Mou, Naruto! You scared me out of my skin!" Sakura pinched at the bridge of her nose as she found her patience quickly dropping for the blonde.

The idiot had thrown a kunai toward the bushes, implying nearby threat. Her heart had stilled, dashing in front of Tazuna with her kunai in defense. She had yet to sense danger, but perhaps Naruto had felt something she hadn't.

Upon further inspection, his kunai embedded itself above a snow rabbit, scaring both it and the blonde's teammates half to death.

"Unagi-chan!" Naruto gasped, picking up the poor creature in his arms in an apologetic embrace. "I didn't mean to scare you unagi-chan, gomen-nasai!"

"Don't do shit like that!" Tazuna growled, furious at the false alarm. "You're just trying to show off!"

Sakura was about to smack the blonde, when the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up. She froze, sliding her gaze to her sensei, who had similarly turned his gaze upward at the trees.

 _There._

"Get down!"

She tackled Tazuna to the ground as she registered a large sword careening in their direction, flying over their heads and embedding itself into a tree overhead. As they cautiously raised their heads, a masked figure appeared on top of the sword, surveying the group with cold grey eyes.

 _He has a headband like the other nin,_ Sakura observed, gritting her teeth as she pushed herself back up. _They really waste no time with assassinations, huh._

Kakashi approached the nin with hands in his pockets, seeming to recognize the attacker this time. "Well well well… if it isn't the Rogue Ninja of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi!"

From the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed Naruto's legs tense, ready to jump in. She whipped her hand out to grab his backpack, the blonde letting out an "Ack!" as she jerked him back.

Angrily, he opened his mouth to protest. "W-What! Sakura-cha-"

"She's right, Naruto. He's on a totally different level from the guys the other day," Kakashi warned, his hand moving to cup his headband. "Him being our opponent… means I'm going to have to use this."

Zabuza's eye narrowed, rolling his shoulders back. "I'm assuming you're Kakashi… the Sharingan user."

Jade eyes watched as Sasuke visibly tensed, his eyes widening at the mention of his clan's kekkai genkai. A million questions raced through her head, but she forced them down to focus on the situation at hand. No matter how Kakashi possessed the trait, it would be useful to have two Sharingan users in this fight.

"Get in Manji position," Kakashi ordered, pulling his forehead protector up to reveal a large scar spanning his left eye. "Don't involve yourself in this fight."

Standing slightly to the side, Sakura could only make out a glint of red from his side profile, but she could imagine. Multiple textbooks had given her diagrams of the famous kekkai genkai, characterized by red eyes and two adjacent black tomoes.

 _So that's what his headband had been hiding._

* * *

After Hasao's short tutelage, Sakura had grown up always believing there was something she could do. He had taught her to think outside the box, follow the enemy's train of thought, improvise if needed. Anything and everything can be used in combat, and the chances of winning raises with the awareness of that information.

However, Sakura felt at a complete loss at her sensei's instructions, commanding the team to relinquish all ideas of involvement. Indignation welled at the pit of her stomach of leaving a single person to carry the rest, especially at the stakes they faced in the present moment.

Any of them could perish during this battle, and Kakashi was not only placing sole responsibility on himself for defeating the nin, but also expected to protect the rest of his teammates as well as the bridge builder. In fact, in this scenario the genin were no more useful than the bridge builder.

She knew that the ambush had prevented them from further planning and intervention would only distract the jounin from performing at his best, but her gut wanted to argue with her sensei and insist that there existed a way for them all to participate in the protection and completion of this mission.

Those thoughts swirled through her head as they watched Zabuza disappear through the thickness of the fog. When he reappeared behind her, smack in the middle of their formation, her mind stilled and her body reacted.

She crouched her body to keep herself a small target, spun around and pierced his stomach with a kunai. As she jumped back to create space, the figure dissolved into a puddle of water.

 _A water clone?_

She turned to see the real one appear behind the silver haired jounin, and heard Naruto shout out the name of their sensei in warning before the two engaged into hand to hand combat. Distracted by the events surrounding the water clone, Kakashi only had time to duck the swing of the large sword before he was kicked.

Panicking, he escaped into the lake - a grave mistake, as he soon found himself trapped within a water prison by his assailant.

Sakura cursed, returning to her position by the bridge builder.

If she hadn't intervened… if she had just trusted their sensei, perhaps his control of the situation would have prevented this outcome.

She watched in horror as the bandages around Zabuza's mouth morphed to indicate a smirk underneath, having trapped his prey… and then turned his murderous eyes toward the remaining four. His free hand created the tiger seal, forming another water clone that appeared on land.

Though Zabuza's clone only possessed a portion of the actual reserves, Sakura knew the threat was far from diminished. Kakashi's presence had provided a sense of reassurance and safety, and suddenly the man who had promised everything had been contained within a matter of minutes.

She had asked the universe to give her a chance to prove herself… and oh did it answer.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me now how ya'll feel about this chapter! Lots of love xx**


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